The Illustrated Self - Final Poster, Etching Trail and ERROR

So I decided that I did want to etch my final poster in the end, so I started and finished my plate of Thursday ready to etch Friday, as it would be the last day the print room was open until Monday's submission.

However the print did not come out as planned.

The detail just didn't come out at first, probably due to me wiping off too much ink when preparing the plate, or at least that is what I thought at the time...

However even when leaving more ink on, the details just weren't coming out, especially the little lines on the background which cannot even be seen on these prints at all. 

More experimenting with leaving more ink on, trying to find that perfect middle ground with would allow more detail but not just become murky like the print below.

I still cannot figure out which print is the most successful. I think this bottom one has merit in that it is dark and the details can mostly be seen however the ink does obscure other details which are important in the overall print. I love the antique feel that it has managed to inherit, but I still wish I could've found more of a balance of contrast.

Basically the problem is not etching deep enough. It is tricky to know when making the plate whether the marks made are going to come out or not, or whether they will hold enough ink. Evidently on this plate, they just weren't defined enough. 

I am going to re-etch another plate of the same design for the show, but this one definitely served as a lesson learnt in dry point; GO FOR IT! Don't be too soft with the plate basically.